The Dragonborn and Her Argonian
by Noodle12
Summary: Based originally on the series of quests in Darkwater Crossing. An Argonian miner falls hard for the Dragonborn. But what would happen if it turned out she felt the same way? May expand depending on reviews. Hope you enjoy.
1. Chapter 1: The Return

A/N: This story is based off of the series of small quests in Darkwater Crossing and Darkwater Pass in Skyrim. Hope you like it. More chapters to come...well, depending on how many people want me to continue this story, that is. :P

* * *

The dragon nearby roared as the several Stormcloak soldiers on the lookout outside of the mine readied their bows in case the dragon decided to fight. But they were frightened nonetheless. A handful of soldiers and some steel arrows weren't going to help too much. When the dragon flew ahead past the springs and far up the road, the soldiers feared the worst.

When they climbed up to their small posts above the mine to see past the trees, they saw a small figure, almost like an ant from where they were, and within minutes, the dragon gave out a roar of defeat as its scales began to fade away. The guards removed their helmets and looked on in astonishment.

"Is that...?" One of them started. The other one smirked in admiration for the figure ahead on the road, and nodded as they jumped down and began to run up the road, signaling for the other soldiers around the crossing and in the cabin to follow. When they realized who was up the road, they wasted no time trying to greet the honored hero.

* * *

Derkeethus sighed as he wiped his scaly forehead, rolling his neck afterwards. He grimaced along with his fellow miners at the cracking sounds his neck made. Tormir gave a sympathetic smile as she glanced over at him. She grabbed her pickaxe when she spotted Sondas Drenim and Verner Rock-Chucker coming towards them. Tormir noticed the mischievous gleam in their eyes and suggestive smirks. She grabbed Hrefina's hand and began to walk out of the mine as she passed the oncoming men. They walked past her and surrounded Derkeethus.

"You never did tell us, Derkeethus..." Sondas Drenim started, laughing slightly. Derkeethus sighed, tired of their constant teasing about the same things every week.

"Have you found a lady yet?" Verner finished. When Derkeethus didn't respond and dropped his pickaxe as he began to walk out of the mine, rubbing the back of his neck in exasperation. The two men continued to tease him on the way out.

"There must, at least, be someone you have feelings for." Sondas suggested hopefully. He and Verner somewhat pitied the poor Argonian and thought he was very unhappy of late, or more so, lonely. They had began walking up the road while they spoke, overhearing the guards and other miners walk up to the dead dragon in the distance. Derkeethus fiddled with his fingers as they got even closer.

"Well...actually...there is on-" Derkeethus froze in fear and embarrassment as he looked up with the rest of them and spotted the hero of the day. Sondas and Verner smirked in realization when they saw how the Argonian gazed upon her. Their question had been answered within seconds.

"Oh...the girl who saved your life is the one you want the most, eh?" Verner joked. Derkeethus glared at him before looking up at the lovely woman up the road.

A pale, short girl with freckles dusting her cheekbones. Her chin length auburn hair blew in the wind as her bangs nearly covered her chocolate eyes. Her armor was torn slightly in certain places. The sleeves ripped nearly all the way off of her normal tunic, one leg up to the knee was ripped from its cloth. A gold chain wrapped around her neck and disappeared into her shirt. She was wearing some kind of amulet or necklace. Her leather boots shone with the dragons blood as she panted heavily. Her arms were bare and faint goosebumps began to form. She tightly gripped the dwarven greatsword in her hands as her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, resting on her sprawled legs. She wiped the spewed blood from small spots on her face and arms as she dropped the sword and the arrows fell from their holder on her back, along with her bow. She rolled her neck and cracked her knuckles. She gazed around at the thankful miners, who slowly helped her up. She glanced at the dragon skeleton, as she just finished absorbing its soul.

"Feel free to take whatever is on the body, guys. Maybe have a smither make you guys some good stuff with that dragon bone." She said with a smile, bagging the gold that was somehow on the dragons body and handing it to Annekke Crag-Jumper, who smiled back and helped her steady herself.

"Raen, you must be exhausted. How far have you traveled?" Annekke asked the Dragonborn.

"I came from Riverwood. I was with some friends when one of my...associates sent word to me of a nearby dragon's nest. I grew worried and immediately began running here." Raen responded, still panting slightly. Annekke gasped and embraced the girl.

"Come, you will dine with us tonight and sleep over. We shall celebrate the rest of this day and relax." She exclaimed. She turned to Tormir.

"If there is anyone left in the mines, tell them to stop working and relax by the fire." Tormir nodded and went to quickly check for anyone else. She returned moments later with nothing to report.

"Alright, everyone. Let's get this dragon's corpse cleaned and looted, then we'll chuck whatever's left because frankly, it'll just block the road, and I don't want to have to wake up to a dead dragon skeleton every morning, if you all don't mind. So let's get moving!" She said with excitement. Tormir and Hrefina helped her bag everything they looted off the corpse, along with as many dragon bones and scales as they could carry. They carried the bags inside the house and then worked to move the 'remains of the remains' away from the road.

Sondas and Verner began to push Derkeethus up the road, which only caused the Argonian to pull away and begin to run back to the mine in embarrassment. But he stopped when a hand touched his shoulder. He was ready to turn around and hiss at the two men who had been taunting him, but they were a few feet away, holding their sides in silent laughter at his expression change when he gazed upon Raen, who had caught up to him. Before he could even make a sound, she crushed him with a hug. He nearly fainted in her embrace.

"Derkeethus, I missed you so, my friend." She said. He couldn't even respond to her, he was so shocked.

"When I heard that a dragon's nest was so close, I nearly exploded. I panicked, and thought of you and the others all the way out here with hardly any assistance. I obviously thought of their protection, but you were the first one I thought of. My good friend, who has been with me through so much, I was terrified for your life. Where would I be without you by my side?" She had pulled away and poured out her worries in such a rush it took him a moment to recall what she said. On the last sentence she began to cry.

Derkeethus panicked silently and didn't really know what to do, so he just stood there, gripping her shoulders for dear life. She wiped her eyes before her voice could quiver anymore and she smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling.

"I am sorry...I don't mean to be emotional. I haven't seen you in a while and the thought of not seeing you ever again tore me." She confessed. She heard a small whimper from him and noticed how troubled he was.

"Oh, Derkeethus, you don't need to act this way around me. Your my best companion, lighten up." She tried to cheer him, and saw his mouth turn into what would have been a smile, if Argonians could really smile, that is.

"My apologies. I just didn't expect to see you all of a sudden. I acted immaturely." He admitted. If Argonian's could blush, he'd be doing so right now, as well.

"Hmm...yes you did. I went over to talk to you and you began to run away." She said, hands on her hips and smirking in a teasing manner as she was now at arms length. Sondas and Verner were walking by to go pretend to be busy with stoking the fire, and Verner feigned a cough and murmured, "It's 'cause he loves you." Causing said Argonian to hiss and chase after the laughing duo with his pickaxe. Raen watched in amusement, raising her eyebrow. She knew Derkeethus loved her, and she loved him, but she didn't want to risk becoming a nagging girlfriend or wife who would be bossy and bitchy and downright cruel.

She didn't want that at all, so she would make sure not to pour out her love to him so obviously. But she loved the way he would become so shy after just a week or two of not seeing her. Then she would grab him from his job and drag him out on her own quests because she 'felt like it'. He loved traveling and fighting with her, or rather, fighting alongside her. No, he never fought _with _her. No, they were too close to get into arguments. Too 'secretly' in love with each other to risk creating problems with each other. One went wherever the other suggested, and if it didn't work, the latter would lead the other. That's how it always worked.

* * *

She had gone inside to treat her wounds as Derkeethus chased down the men who proceeded to taunt him throughout the afternoon.

She had been sipping her mead when Tormir and the girls began to tease her about Derkeethus' feelings for her, which caused her to gag.

"You guys know too?" She asked incredulously. Tormir giggled.

"Everyone does. He looks at you whenever you visit, with the eyes of a man who's completely and utterly smitten." She explained. Raen smirked and rolled her eyes.

"He doesn't think you feel the same way though. Sometimes, during our bonfires, he drinks a bit too much mead along with the other men, and in a drunken stupor, he complains about how he's too insignificant, too outlandish to be with a Nordic goddess such as you, blah blah blah..." Annekke imitated the Argonian's occasional behavior and mumbled something about serving less mead for the men more often nowadays. Raen shook her head and smiled sadly.

"I swear, sometimes he's as stupid as Ulfric Stormcloak. Nirn, as well as Skyrim, is home to all. The Gods put us all here for us to someday unite as races. How are we to do that if our war tears our beliefs apart? Am I, like many Stormcloaks and Stormcloak supporters, unhappy about the banishment of the worship of Talos? Sure. Do I think, like the rest of the Empire, that Skyrim is big enough for all races and not just the Nords? Damn right. But can my opinion make a difference? Probably not, because our worlds are far from perfect. But my point is, even though I'm a Nord doesn't mean I have to be as hard headed as one. If I thought like most Nords, I would never have found _true _love. I fell in love with an Argonian, and I couldn't be happier." She said, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.

Then she realized that she just confessed her feelings in front of the girls. Annekke, Tormir, and Hrefina all smirked at her. The laughter and tales of adventure could be heard from the men and soldiers outside around the bonfire. Raen smirked slightly at the wonderful sound of Derkeethus' smooth laughter. But then blushed slightly when she realized that the girls now knew she felt the same way for him.

"So are you going to tell him soon?" Annekke asked. Raen bit her lip.

"I plan to...yes..." She mumbled. The girls all 'awwww'd in unison, causing Raen to roll her eyes and smirk a tiny bit as she sipped her mead.

* * *

"Derkeethus..." Raen whispered, shaking the Argonian from his slumber. It was the middle of the night, but for Raen, he'd no doubt make an exception.

"Hmm?" He mumbled as he rose from the tent. She smiled up at him and took his hand.

"Come with me...I know of a place we haven't been to yet." She glowed with excitement as she began to walk, nearly dragging his tired form down the road. Little did they know that Raen's whispering woke up the others, and they all smirked and began to softly and slowly follow the two down the road.

* * *

A/N: Yeah. That's all I got so far. But, review and let me know if you want more.

Hope you enjoyed. :D

-Noodle12 ^.^


	2. Chapter 2: The Confession

A/N: Wow, I really didn't expect any reviews. That's awesome. I'm glad some people like the story. So, I'm gonna continue it as promised. I started writing this chapter a bit later than I intended because I was working on my two other Skyrim fanfic's "With Friends Like These" and "Hybrid"...and also because Derkeethus was distracting me. I was wandering the springs, and he was fighting off a freakin' mudcrab that was...I dunno, twenty feet away.

But anywho...On with the show, I s'pose. :P

* * *

"Where are they going?"

"My feet hurt."

"I need to take a piss..."

"Will you shut up?" Exclaimed Annekke as quietly as she could to the complaining miners. They had been complaining not even three minutes into the journey. Annekke sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She kept a close eye on the couple ahead.

"Raen, where are we going?" Asked a nervous Derkeethus. Raen smiled as she gazed upon the night sky. She never knew why, but for some reason the moon was always so very close. It seemed to be much closer to Skyrim than it should have been.

"Hey, look. Why is the moon so close?" Verner asked. Annekke slapped him over the head, earning a whisper of pain from her husband.

"Shut it, you lout! I nearly missed what she said!" Annekke cursed as she clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Annekke told me of a glorious tree in a Sanctuary nearby. I've never seen it, and I'm assuming you've never seen it, either. So...I thought it would be a wonderful place to visit together." Raen exclaimed as she batted her eyes happily. Derkeethus eyed her, hinting a smile in his tone.

"And why couldn't we wait until morning?" He asked. She crossed her arms momentarily and pouted as they walked.

"Because I felt like it." She said. He laughed, and it made her melt as she listened to his laughter. When it died down, she took his hand in hers once more and pulled him closer to the Sanctuary entrance, which was finally in view. Meanwhile, the group following them eyed Annekke, who was smirking proudly.

"Ha-ha, she'd better thank me for telling her about this place. There must be a reason she's bringing him to such a lovely place...all of a sudden..." She chortled mischievously.

"There it is! Come on, Derkeethus!" Raen called out happily as she dragged him inside. The others tagged along moments later, hesitantly stepping inside.

* * *

"You know, Danica Pure-Spring in Whiterun gave me this knife right here...she said it is the only thing that can lead to the access of the Eldergleam and get its sap to heal the Gildergreen tree in Whiterun." Raen stated, holding up Nettlebane, the dagger with the special metal. Derkeethus made a small noise in acknowledgement as he gazed around the breathtaking Sanctuary. She giggled and took his hand as they walked up the walkway and stopped in front of the huge branches. A woman resting below along with a man on the other side of the Sanctuary suggested Raen to not harm the tree, but Raen, being who she is, didn't listen, and began to strike the branches one by one. They recoiled up to the top as Raen followed along. The miners below closely watched from where they were. There was something weird about this place...

As Raen got a bottle ready to trap the sap, she quickly pierced the wood of the Eldergleam and filled the bottle with sap. She capped the bottle and put it back in her bag and turned around to gaze across the Sanctuary with Derkeethus. She took his hand in hers and he looked down at her.

"You know, I want to tell you something." She said, smiling at him. He gave her a confused look. She sighed slightly.

"I...it may not seem like it...but I am very attracted to you...wait, no. That didn't come out right. Well, it did, but that's not what I wanted to say. I meant that I feel connected to you. Okay, sorry, that's not what I meant either. I...just..." She began to ramble nervously as she tried to confess her feelings for him. Derkeethus' heart was racing as he looked into her eyes and in unison they said, "I love you."

She was about to kiss him until he got a wild look in his eyes, one of protection and anger. He looked behind her in shock, and nearly panicked until he thought of what to do.

"Please forgive me for what is about to happen, my love. I pray you'll know what to do." He said, looking into her eyes once more. Raen suddenly heard a chittering sound from behind her and was about to turn around until she felt Derkeethus' arms gripping her waist tightly before throwing her over the edge of the platform of ground that held up the Eldergleam. He quickly drew his pickaxe and began to swing fiercely at the Spriggans that were about to attack Raen. With both ends, he pierced their hearts multiple times until they fell to nothing but glowing twigs.

Raen would've screamed in fear as she began to plummet to the ground, but being the Dragonborn, she had another idea. She mentally forgave him and thanked him as she unleashed her Thu'um.

"FEIM...ZI...GRON!"

When she hit the ground, she wasn't even scratched. She shook her head as the power of the Thu'um slowly faded away. There were several other Spriggans on this level, and she and Derkeethus began to fight. When all that was left was the Spriggan Matron, the group of miners sprang into action and the whole lot of them fought off the glowing creature. The result was a scratched up, panting group of people, slowly beginning to laugh for no reason.

"Oh, what a night." Exclaimed Tormir. Hrefina smiled as she looted the Matron's body. Raen blushed and held Derkeethus' hand as the group turned to them.

"So, how did the confession go?" Annekke asked.

"Fairly well...and I got my tree sap. We're good to go." Raen joked.

"Just make sure we don't have to go back here anytime soon. Pft, Spriggans in a Gods-damned Sanctuary." Verner scoffed.

"Hey, you're the ones who followed. It's your fault." Derkeethus retorted.

"We helped you fight those things!" Sondas replied. Annekke slapped all three men upside the head and tugged on Verner's ear.

"Come on, men. We don't want another fight to have to deal with. We've already got one child in tow, we don't need three more." She snapped as the group walked out of the Sanctuary and back home, hearing complaints from Hrefina and Verner, Derkeethus, and Sondas all the way back. When they finally settled to sleep, Raen appeared beside Derkeethus in his tent and traced his scales lovingly. When he realized she was so close to him, he whimpered nervously. She shushed him and kissed him lightly. When she pulled back, he hissed lovingly and nuzzled her cheek, rubbing his own against it. She giggled and cuddled him until sleep took over.

* * *

"Hnn...what?" Raen mumbled sleepily. The courier was upside down as she gazed at him while lying on her back beside the sleeping Argonian.

"Got this note...not sure who it was from. But that's it. Got to go. Have yourself a great day, milady." He said, and ran off. It was a note reminding Raen about three flawless amethysts for Talen-Jei.

"Oh Gods, I don't want to see to that. It sounds awful. Too difficult." She said, turning the balled up letter into a ball of flames. Derkeethus had awoken and heard what she said.

"What's too difficult?" He asked. Raen caressed the top of his head for a moment.

"Talen wants me to find him three flawless amethysts. And I've only found two." She sighed. Derkeethus held her hand and gave a sad look, before changing his expression.

"I'll give you one." He said. Raen smiled widely.

"Really? Thank you so much!" She said, hugging him. He hugged her back. He was thankful she didn't ask him why he had some spare amethysts.

* * *

"I cannot believe all he gave me was a potion for pickpocketing! That's not even something I do!" Raen exclaimed in frustration as she and Derkeethus walked down a winding road in the woodland areas of Skyrim. The sun was out, even though it began to rain.

"Hey...weather in honor of you." He joked, tying the connection between the weather and her name. She smiled slightly and nudged him before leaning into his embrace, still pouting about the lame reward for her amethysts.

"I had to go through Dwemer ruins to get those. Dwemer ruins!" She emphasized the words to show how difficult the journey had been. He held her with one arm as his other hand fingered his pocket. He made sure, before giving one of his amethysts away, that he still had enough to make the ring. He fingered the ring nervously. It had been three months until Raen finally got around to delivering the last amethysts to Talen. The only reason she had remembered it was because Derkeethus kept reminding her subtly.

He thought about how long he had known her. Was it really going to be seven years this summer? And four months of courting. Best friends for seven years, lovers for four months.

And they say life is short.

Derkeethus was aching to propose, but knew he had to wait. Four months was way too fast for a proposal. But then another thought hit him. If they had loved each other all this time, wouldn't that permit him to propose now?

"Are you listening to me?" Raen asked, smirking. Derkeethus shook his head to escape his thoughts and turned to her.

"Hm? What?" He asked. She giggled and rolled her eyes.

"Men...," She groaned playfully. "I asked you what that gate was." She said.

"What gate?" He asked. She tsk'ed and pointing to the foreign, arching gate up the road.

"You don't recognize it?" He asked in surprise. She shook her head.

"Should I?" She asked.

"That's the gate to Morrowind." He stated. Her eyes widened.

"No way. Really?" She asked, gazing around. She turned to him, and after glancing at her map, they began to walk back up the road, turning around.

"Mmhmm." The Argonian assured her as he wrapped an arm around her waist and they walked until night. He mentally cursed himself. The flowing flower petals in the air and lovely sky, the gate to Morrowind would have been a perfect spot for a proposal.

* * *

A/N: I s'pose I'll stop right there and continue at a good questline for the next chapter :) Please review if you have a quest you would like to see Raen and Derkeethus encounter or if you have any criticism. :D

-Noodle12


	3. Chapter 3: Forts, Prisoners and Thalmor

A/N: Dum dum dum de dum...boredom :P Hope this'll suffice. I'm thinking of subtly bringing all my OC's and Skyrim characters together eventually...if I get around to it. XD Stay tuned for hints of my other story's main characters: Layra and Cicero and Anika and perhaps some new ones I have yet to publish. But if I choose to do so, the characters who are Dragonborn in their own stories will not be Dragonborn in this one because its Raen's chance to be Dragonborn and stuff... So...yeah...

* * *

"It's a fort." Raen said, gazing upon the giant fort in front of them. Derkeethus looked at her and smirked.

"Really? I never would have guessed." He said in a sarcastic tone that made her shiver.

"Oh shut up." She giggled and took his hand as they began to walk near the entrance. They were encountered by mages and atronachs, who they took care of within minutes.

An Orc ran up behind Raen and caught her by surprise, but Derkeethus called out for her and she jumped out of the way of the orc's blow as Derkeethus sprinted towards him and cut off his head with a dwarven sword. When an ice mage temporarily impaled Derkeethus with a huge slab of ice, Raen flew into a wild rage and shrieked at her as she swung her battleaxe this way and that.

"You're dead, bitch!" She hissed at the mage before slicing every inch of her body apart. When she went to check on Derkeethus, she used a restoration spell on him and herself before they walked inside the fort.

* * *

The fort was filled to the brim with mages beyond belief, and by the end of it all, Raen and Derkeethus barely made it out alive. As they patched up and limped throughout the night for a place to camp, a headless horseman rode by, muttering incoherent things. He rode off into the distance, and the duo was forced to continue their trek to sanctuary instead of attempting to follow the ghost in their state.

When they continued down the road, they spotted a Khajiit in rags pacing back and forth. He walked up to them with wide, spazzing eyes.

"I have an offer to make you, friends. The finest skooma, and sweetest moonsugar ever to cross your lips." He purred. Raen stepped back so she was leaning nervously against Derkeethus' chest. He caressed her shoulder protectively.

"That...doesn't seem legal." She said. The Khajiit's eyes narrowed at her and he gave an evil laugh.

"Oh, a snitch eh? Can't have you running into any guards, can we?" He growled before drawing a dagger and lunging at her, plunging the knife into her left arm. She cried out in pain. The tip of the knife was poisoned with some type of desert flower and she couldn't move. When he made a move to stab her again, Derkeethus punched him in the jaw, kicked him down and proceeded to stab him with is own dagger, still gripped in his own hand. Raen had fallen to the ground and Derkeethus held her hand, remembering a story he read once. An Argonian prince who saved a Redguard princess from almost certain death by holding her hand and uniting them together in an embrace as she used a restoration spell upon herself. The Argonians' Hitskin ability had transferred to the princess in that moment so that she could fully heal. Derkeethus, being the dreamer he was, decided in his moment of protection to try to do the same thing.

He gripped her hand and closed his eyes as he focused on his hitskin, while whispering for her to cast a healing spell on herself. Raen watched in amazement as her wounds all began to heal. She looked up at him when his powers ran out, and she gazed upon her healed body before looking into his eyes.

"How did you do that?" She asked. He smiled with his eyes and sighed, now exhausted.

"I read it in a book once...Redguard princess...saved by the Argonian prince of Black Marsh..." He mumbled, leaning his head on her shoulder sleepily. She smiled and held his hand.

"I don't know if I'm much of a princess, but your certainly my knight in shining armor...er...scales." She corrected, earning a beautiful laugh from him.

"You're plenty of a princess to me." He said. She smiled and they nuzzled their cheeks together affectionately. He stood and helped her up on her feet and they began to sluggishly continue their trek to camp, wherever it was.

* * *

"Help." Deadpanned a foreign voice, encouraged and repeated by a different, heavy accent.

"Did you hear something?" Raen asked Derkeethus as they paused when hearing a non-enthusiastic cry for help.

"Oh, help." Came the heavily accented cries again.

"There it is again. Did you hear that?" Raen asked again. Derkeethus nodded, and they looked around until they spotted, in the pitch black night, a female dark elf in rags, calling for help with a female Khajiit by her side as they were pushed around unceremoniously by some Thalmor. One of the elven guards looked somewhat nervous as the couple approached.

"Oh, please, help us." Said the monotone prisoners. Derkeethus walked up to the hooded Thalmor mage and looked him in the eye.

"What's going on here?" He asked, while Raen stepped closer to the prisoners.

"These two wretches were possessing Amulets of Talos. We are bringing them to the Thalmor Embassy until they confess to their crimes." He said. The female Khajiit growled.

"All we did was steal them, we don't care about the Gods." She hissed, confessing their true crime. The dark elf nodded and the mage rolled his eyes.

"Feinmar, please, they've done nothing wrong. Please, let's release them." Begged the uneasy Thalmor woman who was shaking in her armor. The soldier next to her and the mage both eyed her furiously and cursed at her before turning to Raen and Derkeethus.

"The worship of Talos has been banned. You should have no part in this event, citizen. Unless...there is something you would like to confess." He spat, eyeing Raen suspiciously when Derkeethus shrugged tiredly, showing he had no beliefs in the gods. Raen glared at the mage and stepped up to him.

"Yeah, I believe in Talos. What of it?" She asked.

"You are a heretic. I don't like your attitude. And so you will die a heretics death." The mage signaled for the two other Thalmor to attack as he readied his spells. But before he could strike, the uneasy Thalmor woman sliced off his head before turning around to slay the other soldier. After a few moments of struggle, she managed to kill him and drop her weapons and armor, revealing a dark, leather one piece outfit. She shook her bright, long, wavy blonde hair out of her helmet and threw the helmet aside. She stepped towards the smiling prisoners who she untied and embraced. Raen and Derkeethus blinked in confusion.

"I am Ethir. My name translates to 'Spy', which is basically what I do. I joined the Thalmor and was forced to nearly kill my two friends, but when you two interfered, I finally had the chance to free them. They are thieves, but we've been friends since childhood. We've been in Skyrim for years together." The high elf explained. She gestured to the Khajiit.

"This is Pe'ram No-Tongue. We met her when she was a little cub wandering the streets of Windhelm, crying and begging for someone to help her. She couldn't speak...well, any language at all, really, back then. So we named her that. She can speak now, of course, but sometimes, she reverts back to her childish days and just...doesn't speak. So we learned to communicate with her through sounds and expressions and motions." Ethir explained while the bashful feline looked down at her feet, her tail swishing about. Ethir then pointed to the surprisingly beautiful dark elf who bit her lip anxiously.

"This is Norin, whose name coincidentally translates to 'Fire Queen'. As you know, dark elves can use their 'ancestors wrath' ability in battle and coat themselves in fire. Norin usually only fights with fire, and when she was young, we were all practicing and sparring one day, and she burned nearly all of her hair off." Ethir laughed with Norin and Pe'ram as they thought back to the elf's singed hair. Norin had a similar haircut to Raen, except her bangs completely covered her eyes and her hair was a few inches shorter.

"Oh, she cried for hours about how it would never grow back. Such a dramatic girl." She sighed happily. "But yes," She continued. "We have been together forever and we will remain that way. These two now rule the Thieves Guild and plan on remaining a spy for the rest of my days. Requiring information for a price is definitely a good way to make money when you are a master of these kinds of things." She said. Raen and Derkeethus introduced themselves and explained their situation.

"Oh, well, you can use the previous campsite my...associates were just at earlier this night. But these two were complaining so much that we started to travel again. We really need to get home." Ethir explained, pointing at first to the campsite, now in view behind her, and then pointed northwest.

"We'll stop in Whiterun and then turn and continue on our way to Soltitude. Safe enough place, among the Empire, so long as _you two_don't steal anymore amulets of Talos, got it?" She snapped at her two friends, who nodded nervously. Then they waved goodbye and thanked the couple before walking up the road.

"May the Gods bring us together again someday!" Raen called out, waving.

"You can count on it, milady!" Called Norin politely. Pe'ram turned her head and smiled.

"This one is certain of that." She purred.

"Good luck!" Called Ethir one final time before the trio disappeared among the wilderness. Raen smiled at Derkeethus and grabbed his hand as they walked to the used campsite. They were hungry, but much more intent on getting some rest. So they collapsed onto the unmade bed rolls and allowed sleep to take over.

* * *

A/N: I am on a ROLL! :D


	4. Chapter 4: The Proposal

A/N: I couldn't resist so I just kept writing. :3

Enjoy...and yeah.

* * *

"Derkeethus..." Raen whispered. It was nearly five in the morning. She realized they had slept for nearly two days straight, and was surprised nothing had interfered with their rest this whole time. She had woken up and looked around their campsite absentmindedly until she saw something fall from Derkeethus' pocket. He was fast asleep, and when she looked at the object, a ring, she became curious and confused. She shook him until he woke.

"Derkeethus...what is this?" She asked. His eyes widened before he sighed and rubbed his neck nervously.

"It's a ring...the same one Talen was going to craft for Keerava when he had all three flawless amethysts. A wedding band that symbolizes marriage for Argonians." He said. Raen swallowed. She thought she knew why he had it, but she wanted to ask him anyway.

"Why do you have this?" She asked him, gazing at the beautiful ring, no doubt crafted specially by Derkeethus himself.

"I...was aching to propose to you, my love. I knew it was too early, though, so I never took it out. I was afraid you would be repulsed by my eagerness and never see me again." He said. She bit her lip before lightly slapping his arm. He looked at her in surprise and confusion.

"Idiot...You know I've loved you all these years. Don't you realize that even though we've only been courting for a few months, we've been _in love_ for much, much longer. That's more than enough time to permit marriage. And I would never be repulsed by the thought of marrying you. The thought, frankly, makes me so happy my heart could stop." She said. Derkeethus' jaw nearly fell open. She kissed him for a moment and embraced him.

"I love you, you stupid lizard." She mumbled. He swallowed and closed his eyes for a split second before pulling back and looking into her eyes.

"Then marry me." He said. She blushed lightly, looking up at him.

"What?" She asked incredulously.

"You love me..." He restated. She smiled.

"More than life itself, with all my heart and soul." She confessed. He held her closer, pecking the top of her head lovingly.

"As do I...you are my only love, and you have captured my heart. I'd be honored to walk by your side until the trees themselves fade away. If you would have me..." He proposed, fitting the ring upon her hand. Raen felt as if her heart would jump out of her chest. She almost felt it was going too fast, but then remembered how true love can make people do insane things.

'If this is true love...I wouldn't mind going at this pace...as long as it means he can be only mine, forever.' She thought.

"Together, until the end, then." She said, trying not to choke on her words as tears suddenly began to spill from her eyes.

"As short as life can sometimes be in this land, we will have each other." He hissed promisingly as she kissed him. He wiped her tears away as she continued to kiss him until they fell back onto the bedroll, soon losing themselves in love and lust.

* * *

"You don't need one." Derkeethus said in a monotone. He ducked as a silk dress flew his way and landed on the floor behind him as he sat by the nightstand.

"Yes I do." Raen whined as she looked for her sandals, satin dress and jade circlet. They were now in her home in Whiterun, Breezehome, after journeying for two and a half weeks from wherever they were. Raen's housecarl, Lydia, had left the room to give them some privacy after reuniting with Derkeethus, whom she had met and encountered many times before.

"The last thing you need is something that will cause other men to stare at you...on _our _wedding day." He hissed possessively. Raen, being who she is and seeing how she lacked modesty, began to strip right in front of him and change into her gown to see if it still fit. The blood rushed under his scales and he felt his face grow hot. He turned his head away and when Raen noticed this, she giggled. Derkeethus thought back to two weeks back when he proposed to her and they made love the next moment. This only caused his blood to boil even more.

"Anything to make it so that _you_ can't take your eyes off _me_is worth the gawking of others." Raen winked as she shimmied into her gown. Derkeethus rolled his eyes.

"You may be able to deal with them, but I won't be able to stand it. Besides, I can barely keep my eyes off of you as it is. You don't need to change yourself for me. I love you and only you, no matter your appearance." He complimented. She smiled and shrugged as she eyed herself in a mirror.

"Besides, I wouldn't have to be looking for my old gowns if _someone_hadn't torn the perfectly good one I was wearing a few nights ago!" She teased. His mouth curled in what would have been a suggestive smirk as they both recalled how he used his Argonian nails to tear the thread of her gown apart because they were too lost in the feelings they were experiencing to care at the time. After tearing her gown, he tossed it aside and continued what they started.

"You most certainly did not complain." He nearly purred. It was her turn to blush now, with the way he was speaking and how she recalled the sounds he managed to earn from her, and how loud she had been. Raen shook her head and continued trying on outfits as they both silently eyed each other the entire time.

* * *

Raen and Derkeethus were hanging around at the Bannered Mare with old friends later into the afternoon and evening. Raen had had a bit too much to drink, and was now swaying in her seat. Derkeethus seemed slightly uneasy among the other people when his love was so far from sober.

"Hey, Raen, your boyfriend seems kinda fidgety." Said the Bard, Mikael. Raen held up her hand and wiggled the ringed finger, with the traditional Argonian band upon it.

"He's not my boyfriend, he's my husband." She hiccuped, then laughed out loud for no reason. The other drunken bar patrons laughed along. The Argonian couldn't take it anymore and draped one of Raen's arms over and around his shoulder, and placed his hand around her waist.

"Hey, he's not your husband yet. Can't use that excuse." Mikael laughed again, while Hulda, the barkeeper eyed him suspiciously before watching him collapse onto the floor, with his lute on top of him.

Derkeethus hauled Raen back to Breezehome and put her half asleep form in the bed. Lydia was getting ready for bed when he arrived.

"Hey-Lydia-nice-to-see-you-I-hope-you-have-a-pleasant-evening-I-can't-really-talk-right-now-because-Raen-is-drunk-and-needs-to-sleep-so-I-need-to-take-care-of-her-but-thanks-for-asking-goodnight!" He called out in one breath before running upstairs with his wife-to-be in his arms, leaving a startled Lydia at the foot of the stairs.

"I didn't even ask anything..." She said, shaking her head and walking into her room, as Derkeethus watched over his love until Raen finally slept.

* * *

A/N: :3 Yay. This chapter was short, I admit, but it was fun nonetheless. :D The proposal was fast, I admit, but these two are eager to be bound together in love forever so...meh. Hope I don't get flamed for that XD


	5. Chapter 5: Morning Recruit

A/N: I haz an idea :3 The main characters in my other stories will get completely different identities in this story. :D

* * *

Knocking...incessant knocking...

"Lydia..." moaned a pained Dragonborn as she stuffed a pillow in her face. Derkeethus was passed out in a chair next to the bed.

It wouldn't stop.

"Lydia..." Raen moaned louder, or, as loudly as she could in this state.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"LYDIA ANSWER THE FUCKING DOOR PLEASE!" Raen unleashed her Thu'um, only half-aware of it as Derkeethus was shaken awake by the rumbling of the house and looked over at his hungover girlfriend. He was surprised, she never swore, at least, he thought she didn't. Raen clutched her head and grimaced, her own loudness provoking her even more.

Lydia rose from her bed and began to walk down the stairs when Derkeethus ran by her and apologized.

"Lydia, I am so terribly sorry for Raen's actions...please, sleep. You deserve it." He said, trying not to anger the 'easily angered' housecarl before running up to the door, straightening his attire, clearing his throat, and standing up straight as he opened the door.

"Hel-" He was interrupted by a loud drumming noise as Ethir, Pe'ram, and Norin paraded inside Breezehome with a dozen other strangers playing musical instruments and singing along to a song nobody cared about. Derkeethus gave a questioning look as the trio from before greeted him.

"We were in town..." Ethir began.

"This one heard Raen lived here." Pe'ram continued.

"And we decided to visit, only to find out from a loudmouth in the marketplace that-" Norin was about to finish, until they all joined in.

"You. Are. To. Be. Wed. To. Not. Only. Raen. But. The. Dragonborn." They teased. Derkeethus' eyes widened. If Raen found out who that 'loudmouth' was, she'd unleash her Thu'um again, and this time it wouldn't be an accident.

"Er, yeah, Raen doesn't really like the pressure of being known as only the Dragonborn to the people of Skyrim, so she tries to keep it quiet in most holds. Unfortunately, Whiterun was nearly where it all started, so she can't really be completely happy with her identity when she's here. She wants people to think of her as her, and not the hero she can become." He stated. The girls nodded slowly in understanding before a groaning Raen came downstairs, clutching her head.

"What is _this?_" She exclaimed, gesturing to the small party of random people in her home, who smiled and waved at her.

"Every race you can imagine, singing and dancing and wandering their lives away while our world falls apart. These guys...really know the glories of life. So we joined them." Norin admitted shyly. Raen's eyes softened. She eyed the new and known faces.

There was nearly a male and female for each race. Except there was only one Redguard, one Dunmer (counting Norin) and several Orcs. One of the travelers looked like a mix of different races. A pale Nordic looking girl with small, almost fang-like teeth protruding at the tip of her bottom lip, making her mouth into a permanent pout, which was nearly irresistible. Her ears were high and pointed slightly, and she had a cute button nose and mismatched eyes. One a vibrant brown color and the other, an emerald green. Her dark hair flowed in the wind coming through the open door as she smiled at the Dragonborn. She curtsied politely.

"Hello, milady. Lovely to meet you. I've sang so many tales of you, it is an honor to finally meet the hero of such tales in person. I am Anika Nagorm of Orsinium. And you are?" Anika smiled happily, practically glowing while Raen sputtered in surprise. This girl hardly looked like her own race!

"Raen...just Raen...of Skyrim." Raen said. She glanced over to one of the other bards in the party, who eyed Pe'ram from a distance.

"Is it just me, or is Pe'ram in this for something else?" Ethir noticed Pe'ram's behavior with the same bard and communicated with Raen through eye contact.

"Well...eating moonsugar can inspire good songs, no?" Pe'ram admitted as the Breton man next to her winked at her. Everyone rolled their eyes at the flirting, obvious business partners. Raen smirked, she should have guessed that man was doing it for the gold, while Pe'ram was doing it for the sugar.

"So, other than wishing me a happy wedding and all, what brings you all to my humble abode?" Raen asked, her headache dying down gradually.

"We wanted to see if you two wanted to travel with us a bit, you know, before your wedding." Ethir suggested, transferring back to her mature side once more. Derkeethus and Raen blinked in unison before opening their mouths momentarily, and closing them again, not knowing how to respond.

"I think that the adorable couple would _love _to tag along." Said a mysterious voice, hidden from the crowd. The next moment, a man in high class mage robes and multiple attractive features appeared in front of the two, smirking wildly.

"Marcurio?" Raen asked, wide eyed. The man winked at her and she smiled, hugging him tightly. There was a hiss growing deep within Derkeethus' throat that he kept inside, despite his immediate jealousy. Ethir, Norin, and Pe'ram noticed this change in him and they all chuckled nervously.

"Marcurio, it's so good to see you! Are you well?" Raen asked. Marcurio nodded and obliviously looked at the seething Derkeethus, not noticing his anger.

"When I had heard you were betrothed to Raen, I ran here immediately. I met this group in the Bannered Mare. And, by the way, I was the loudmouth they were referring to." He said, winking at them both.. Raen smirked and playfully shoved his shoulder. Marcurio turned back to Derkeethus.

"But that's beside the point. I remember when she and I first met you, in Darkwater Pass. I knew from the looks in your eyes that she had finally found the one companion she had hoped for all her life." Marcurio reminisced. Derkeethus' anger disappeared instantly and he remembered the man before him. Marcurio was right next to Raen when she had unlocked the cage Derkeethus was trapped in.

"Marcurio, forgive me, I..." Derkeethus began, but Marcurio held up a hand.

"It's perfectly fine, my friend. It's been a while, I didn't expect you to recognize me. But I'm glad you have." He said. Derkeethus smiled slightly. The girls in the background sighed in relief.

"Marcurio, how is your lady friend?" Raen asked. Marcurio tensed up before rubbing his neck in embarrassment.

"Er...she wasn't all I thought she was..." He trailed off. Raen raised a brow.

"Was she a thief or something? Or, just boring, or 'not the right one'?" Raen asked. He shook his head.

"She was an assassin...and she was taken...even though she didn't know it, she was taken. Her 'boyfriend' came by personally and threatened me. She told me herself in secret, when I confronted her about it, that she didn't even know she had a boyfriend, but he made it clear he didn't want me with her anymore, in any way." He stated, smiling slightly. Raen's eyes widened.

"A Dark Brotherhood assassin?" Raen asked. Marcurio nodded, fear in his eyes.

"Yeah. Auburn hair, just like her 'boyfriend'. She wears the same outfit as him, too. I swear, she's gone nuts. Just like him." Marcurio said, shaking his head.

"Er...right, well, I suppose a short trip among bards wouldn't hurt, would it?" Raen said, her tone hesitant and wary.

"Sure, but, I think you should get dressed first, my love." Derkeethus whispered gently, not wanting to irritate her. Raen's face flushed and she quickly and quietly excused herself from the group as she ran upstairs to dress into more appropriate attire. While everyone chatted on randomly in the meantime, Derkeethus thought about Raen and how much he loved her. His mind wandered from their first meeting to his proposal to their love making, which caused heat to rush to his face. He shook his head and stood, greeting the people he didn't know and talking with them until Raen came down with her knapsack, and Derkeethus' knapsack.

After getting all their stuff settled, Raen led the group out of Whiterun (Marcurio decided to tag along) and they were walking through the plains when Pe'ram started to sing outloud, after quickly swallowing a handful of moonsugar from the Breton male she was traveling next to. Raen and a few others noticed a nip in the air, and shivered. Raen may have been a Nord, but she was never used to the cold weather of Skyrim.

It was then when Pe'ram's loud singing rang through the air, piercing Raen's ears and echoing throughout the grassland.

"I don't know but I've been told!" She sang, suggesting for the other bards to repeat what she said. They sang after her.

"I don't know but I've been told!" They sang.

"End of the world be mighty cold!"

"End of the world be mighty cold!"

"Hey!" Raen protested, interrupting the song. She glanced at the high Khajiit, rolling her eyes in irritation.

"What do you know of the end of the world, cat?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"This one thinks that the Dragonborn isn't doing too good of a job of saving the world. Pe'ram thought Alduin would have killed you by now." Pe'ram laughed. Raen rolled her eyes at her behavior.

"Just because Alduin has returned doesn't mean it's the end of the world." She said. Pe'ram snorted.

"Alduin is World-Eater! It is the end times! It will be bloody, brutish, and beyond freezing." She purred mysteriously.

"Well, don't worry. Everyone will be fine, Nirn is safe as long as I can stop Alduin." Raen assured her. Pe'ram twirled around randomly while the others in the traveling parade talking about nothing in particular. Derkeethus reached over and intertwined his fingers with Raen's. She smiled at him, and was going to lean over to peck him lightly when Pe'ram suddenly shouted.

"WHO'S THAT GUY OVER THERE?" She pointed to a lone, hooded figure in the distance. Raen grew slightly worried. This was odd.

Who was that guy?

* * *

**Meh...good enough. Next chapter is inspired by a review I recently received. So yeah. :P**


	6. Chapter 6: Mai'q The Liar

**A/N: I'm back! And OH MY GOD!**

**THERE'S A FUCKING FLOCK OF LITTLE BIRDS OUTSIDE OF MY WINDOW THAT HAVE NOT SHUT UP FOR FOUR HOURS! I'VE BEEN SITTING IN FRONT OF THIS THING TRYING TO WRITE THIS GODS DAMNED STORY FOR FOUR HOURS! AND IT WON'T STOP! !**

**...**

**On with the show...O.O**

* * *

"Who is that?" Raen asked. She gripped Derkeethus' hand tightly, slightly worried. This figure was cloaked and stood out more than Raen would've liked. It made her nervous.

"This one thinks we should go find out..." Pe'ram purred, already making her way over to the figure. Raen's eyes widened as she protested loudly, but Pe'ram was only encouraged by this. Pe'ram started to jog now, and Raen halted the parade of people, which caused quite a 'traffic jam'. Raen and Derkeethus were at the bottom of a pile of bards, thieves, and at least two people of every race. She groaned and could no longer hold in her anger as she managed to turn around slightly, grip her fiancee's hand, and use her Thu'um. Her face went red with anger as the huge mound of people went flying above her, screaming in surprise. She dragged her dizzy Argonian a few feet away as the people began to land again. They groaned in pain and turned to her, vexed. They began to protest when they heard a male Khajiit voice screaming nervously from a distance.

Raen turned around along with the others and everyone's eyes widened as they saw Pe'ram straddling the very hooded figure that Raen wanted them to stay away from. That was it. Raen was definitely going to restrict her from eating Moon Sugar ever again.

They all began to sprint over to the scene, and watched bemusedly as the hooded figure begged for their help, while Pe'ram licked his furry cheeks and whiskers and nose affectionately with her rough tongue. She even meow'ed once or twice!

"Pe'ram likes this guy. He so fluffy!" Pe'ram purred as she nuzzled the male Khajiit in the hood, who made a pained expression as he was still stuck underneath her. Raen rolled her eyes and Derkeethus grabbed Pe'ram's shoulders, lifting her off of the Khajiit as Raen took his paw and pulled him up. He gave her a wary look of gratitude and put some space between himself and everyone else.

"Mai'q wishes you well. Mai'q thanks you for saving him from the crazy one." He said, a smile finally pulling at his lips. Pe'ram just purred seductively toward him and this resulted in him taking a step back.

"Er, sorry about her. Mai'q, right? It's a pleasure to meet you...I am Raen, this is my fiancee, Derkeethus," She said, motioning towards him with their linked hands after shaking Mai'q's paw, then continued. "And as for everyone else, well, we just met them and we're all really good friends and-"

"Mai'q thinks this is very strange. You let strangers travel with you? This is no good." The hooded Khajiit said. Raen raised an eyebrow.

"These guys are just a bunch of bards and thieves!" She blurted out, obviously annoyed. She was rewarded with a few vexed comments from her posse that were hushed behind her by her husband.

"Obviously, no offence. Raen, as you can tell, is just being pissy." He said, sighing tiredly. Raen turned to him and poked him, not wanting to hurt her lover at all, but still obviously annoyed with him as well.

"Pardon me, husband?" She asked, raising her brow again. He began to stutter nervously when they were interrupted again.

"Mai'q thought he was your fiancee?" Mai'q asked.

"We're to be married, soon." Derkeethus assured.

"Unless she has second thoughts..." One Dunmer added.

"Which, she will." Marcurio continued.

"Of course. Just look at them." Another elf added. He was an Altmer.

"Mai'q is confused." Mai'q commented.

"They're acting like a couple..." Ethir tried to convince everyone.

"Yeah, a couple ready for divorce." Norin joked.

"Please, hush! This is not polite!" Anika begged.

"Who wants to bet in how long it'll take for these two to have a major argument?" One Orc asked.

"This one! This one does!" Pe'ram jumped excitedly while raising her hand.

"All in favor say 'aye'!" The Orc asked.

"Aye!" Came a chorus of different people.

"Mai'q doesn't understand what is happening." Mai'q said.

"Who wants to see how long it'll take for them to kiss and make up afterwards?" One Breton asked.

"This one thinks it will be an erotic apology!" Pe'ram laughed.

"All in favor say 'aye'!" Came the Orc again.

"AYE!" Came the same chorus of people.

"Everyone, please hush." Anika begged.

"This is just ridiculous!" Ethir said.

"But its funny too!" One Argonian commented.

"Damn right!" Marcurio laughed.

"Okay, enough, let's change the subject."

"Pe'ram thinks the one in the hood is immensely attractive."

"Ooh, big words, kitty."

"Mai'q wonders why he is still standing here..."

"I sense an awkward silence coming on."

"Or a really angry Dovahkiin."

"Some say that Alduin is Akatosh. Some also say Mai'q is a liar. Don't any of you believe any of those things." Mai'q assured.

"WILL YOU ALL SHUT UP!" Raen unleashed her Thu'um upon all of them. Everyone went flying.

Mai'q sighed heavily, since he was standing far away from everyone else.

"Mai'q is leaving. Mai'q wonders why he bothers with people anymore." He began to walk away.

"No! Come back! This one will have your babies!" Pe'ram yelled, chasing after him after she got up.

"Gods, no!" Mai'q protested as he began to run away. Pe'ram tripped, resulting in his success in getting away from her. He disappeared into the woods.

Raen spent the next twenty minutes lecturing the pile of people who didn't bother getting up after enduring the power of Raen's Thu'um for the second time that morning. They barely listened to her as she rambled on.

"I am sick of this already. Can't you all just behave!" She finished dramatically.

After a long silence, she thought her act had finally gotten through to them all.

Until Marcurio smirked and said,

"Nope!"

"Ugh! Ridiculous! I'm out of here!" Raen said as she began to storm off. The others all smirked and began to parade behind her again, chatting about nothing all over again. She groaned in annoyance and hung her head while Derkeethus patted her back, slightly smiling.

* * *

**Meh...**

I need reviews.

Cuz I got no idea what you guys wanna see.

Want a particular Questline/Quest?

ASK AWAY!

Please.


	7. Chapter 7: New Recruits and Sunburns

**A/N: Late update...:T **

**Hi.**

**Sorry for the wait. I just started writing another Elder Scrolls fic featuring Ondolemar (damn bastard) and I forgot to update this one, which alot of people seem to like more than any of my other Elder Scrolls fics, which have 0-3 reviews only basically.**

**:( Y U PEOPLE NO LIKE MY STORIES? :'(**

**Kidding. Plus, I've been caught up with some new video games too. And I've been busy...saving Pandora from Handsome Jack. asdfghjklanyway**

* * *

"Ouch! Gods damn it all!" Raen exclaimed in tears as she rubbed her eyes slowly while in pain. Derkeethus wiped away her tears while trying to calm her down. Everyone in the group was rushing around their campsite, looking for herbs and plants and water and potions; anything that would help Raen.

After the encounter with M'aiq, Raen had stomped down the road to Ivarstead. And when they had shortly found a good patch of firm, grassy ground near the side of the road, they all sat there for the rest of the afternoon, and into the evening. Raen spent her afternoon with Derkeethus in her small-clothes, as they sat in the sun by the edge of the river. Raen read a book while snuggling up to him, and after a while, he jumped into the river to catch some fish. She was alone for the rest of the sunny afternoon, happily reading her book. But the whole time, she had felt a hot, tingling sensation all over her body. When Derkeethus came up to her just as the sun was setting, he tapped on her shoulder gently, but this caused Raen to shriek in pain and grab her shoulder defensively, which only resulted in more pain. When she turned to him, his eyes widened in concern.

"Raen, you're burned," he whispered, but this only made her cry lightly. She was so dissapointed in herself for not paying attention. She had a sunburn that nearly covered the whole front of her body. Her pale, almost snow white skin was now red as blood. Every step she took caused severe pain to run through her whole body.

After a long process of trying to get Raen to rest and stay still, everyone scattered around the area to find anything that would help her recover. After a good two hours, Pe'ram found some aloe and tried to stir it and mush it into a spreadable substance. She decided to mix it with a healing potion, skooma, and some spare moonsugar (which she was very reluctant to part with).

After a half hour of trying to perfect the mixture, it seemed clumpy enough to spread onto Raen's body. With the palm of his hand, Derkeethus lay the mixture out upon her flesh. He gently began to spread it, while Raen wriggled and hissed. When the process was done, he told her to stay put. Raen grit her teeth and clenched her fists and toes as her flesh burned and tingled. She doubted the mixture would work.

"This one knows much of healing," Pe'ram began, pointing to herself. "Pe'ram was...a nurse of sorts, back in Elsweyr, during a short time when many Khajiit fought for our land against wild predators. This, of course, was before most of them were tamed by Khajiit. Pe'ram would patch the wounds of males after hours of fighting. The females would nurse them back to health so they could continue their fight. Then after a short while everyone stopped fighting, and started turning to skooma and moonsugar to...pass the time," she finished with a sly smirk.

"But I thought you were abandoned at a young age here in Skyrim?" Raen sneered. Norin smiled lightly.

"We each took a short break from each other during teenagerhood. You know how stressful those years can be for women. The last thing we needed was for our foolish hormones to tear us apart, so we took a short break and went back to our own lands for a while. We met up back here after a year or so," she informed her. Ethir and Pe'ram nodded while Raen raised her eyebrows in understanding.

"I see...Ow!" she hissed in pain as Derkeethus's scales grazed a sensitive spot.

"Sorry, love," he apologized. He continued to gently work the substance onto her skin. Ethir, Norin and Pe'ram all sat together, resting their chins in their palms, when all three heads looked up to the sound of heavy footsteps.

"I thought you said you knew the way!" said one voice.

"No, I said I knew the way out. And I got us out. I never said I knew where to go after," replied another voice.

Two other voices joined in with the bickering until the light of the large fire shone round them. And then the small group of voices grew afraid.

"Who's there?" they called in unison.

"We are but travellers, good men. You need not fret," Anika curtsied in front of the fire, smiling. The others held their arms wide to welcome them.

"Where are you coming from, if I may ask?" Ethir questioned. Everyone eyed the new men. Two argonians (one with heavy feathers and curled horns, and the other with spiked horns), and a dark elf with white facepaint.

"Er...Prison?" The dark elf spoke for all of them. Everyone took a few steps away from these men, fingers reaching for their daggers. Then Felicia, a black-haired Nord, stepped up to them, holding a hand up signalling for everyone to pause.

"One moment...I know you." she whispered, pointing at Neetrenaza. He eyed for a moment before glaring at her, recognizing her instantly.

"Oh, it's you," he hissed. But before those two could bicker for whatever reason, there was another outburst.

"Scouts! It's been a while!" Shavee the Argonian smiled at them as she waved. Another outburst ensued.

"Athis?" someone cried, and a Redgaurd named Todwen pointed at the well-known member of the Companions who was instantly recognized by the rest of the group.

"What? I thought he was on vacation?" Raen mumbled in question.

"Well, about that, er, I _was_on vacation, in Windhelm. I was visiting some cousins of mine, and I got arrested for patting a Nord man on the shoulder as a greeting when I passed by. Nobody told me how racist everyone was, so how was I supposed to know that the guy would act as if I set him on fire? By Azura, I've never been so angry in all my two hundred years," he explained. Everyone nodded in acknowledgement as they turned to look at the Argonians.

"What about you guys?" Derkeethus asked.

"Well, egg-brother, Neetrenaza and I wanted to escape the torment of working at the docks all day, since Shavee here had already succeeded., so I tried to drag him across the water with me. He was protesting despite wanting to leave, and the guards heard us and arrested us for trying to run away. We met Athis in jail and he helped us escape. We've been wandering for days and we've barely eaten or slept. We'd hate to trouble you but-" Scouts-Many-Marshes was then interrupted.

"Look can you guys just spare us some food and drink and a place to sleep?" Neetrenaza rudely butted in. Scouts glared at him as the group welcomed them with open arms. Raen sighed as her already large "posse" grew even larger. But she relaxed and tried to stay positive about the new additions to the group, while her medicine worked its way across her skin.

* * *

**Merp.**


End file.
